Preparations of a Father & King

Preparations

Wednesday 09/23/20 

Series: Thru the Bible

Message – Preparations of a King & Father


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Preparations of a King & Father

Preparations for the Temple Solomon would build

1Chron. 22:1-19, 

“(1) Then David said, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”  

Now if you remember, David was here talking about the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. David did this because he was afraid to go near Jerusalem because of the sword of the angel of the Lord he’d seen before he offered sacrifice.

“(2)  So David gave orders to gather the foreigners that were in the land of Israel, and he appointed stonemasons to cut finished stones for building God’s house.  (3)  David supplied a great deal of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, together with an immeasurable quantity of bronze,  (4)  and innumerable cedar logs, because the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.”  

Tyre and Sidon were areas within the greater province of Lebanon, the Bible often speaks about the cedars of Lebanon. This is where the cedars which went into the construction of the new temple came.

“(5)  David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands. Therefore, I must make provision for it.” So David made lavish preparations for it before his death.” 

David Prepares Solomon for building the Temple

“(6)  Then he summoned his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel.  

(7)  “My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the LORD my God,  (8)  but the word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me.  (9)  But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies, for his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.  (10)  He is the one who will build a house for My name. He will be My son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’  

(11)  “Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as He said about you.  (12)  Above all, may the LORD give you insight and understanding when He puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God.  (13)  Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.  

(14)  “Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD–3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver, and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them.  

(15)  You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work  (16)  in gold, silver, bronze, and iron–beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you.”  

David makes preparations for Solomon’s Help

“(17)  Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon:  (18)  “The LORD your God is with you, isn’t He? And hasn’t He given you rest on every side? For He has handed the land’s inhabitants over to me, and the land has been subdued before the LORD and His people.  (19)  Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the LORD God’s sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built for the name of the LORD.”

David gets his affairs in order

1Chron. 23:1-32, 

“(1) When David was old and full of days, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.” 

“(2)  Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites.  (3)  The Levites 30 years old and above were counted; the total number of men was 38,000 by headcount.”

Now this was not an arbitrary census and it was not done for prideful reasons, it was for the service of the tabernacle as God did the first time in Numbers 4.

Num. 4:1-49, “(1) The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:  (2)  “Among the Levites, take a census of the Kohathites by their clans and their ancestral houses,  (3)  men from 30 years old to 50 years old–everyone who is qualified to do work at the tent of meeting.  (4)  “The service of the Kohathites at the tent of meeting concerns the most holy objects.”

“(21)  The LORD spoke to Moses:  (22)  “Take a census of the Gershonites also, by their ancestral houses and their clans.  (23)  Register men from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who is qualified to perform service, to do work at the tent of meeting.  (24)  This is the service of the Gershonite clans regarding work and transportation duties:  (25)  They are to transport the tabernacle.

“(29)  “As for the Merarites, you are to register them by their clans and their ancestral houses.  (30)  Register men from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who is qualified to do the work of the tent of meeting.  (31)  This is what they are responsible to carry as the whole of their service at the tent of meeting: the supports of the tabernacle, with its crossbars, posts, and bases,…”

“(34)  So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the community registered the Kohathites by their clans and their ancestral houses,  (35)  men from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified for work at the tent of meeting.  (36)  The men registered by their clans numbered 2,750.  

“(38)  The Gershonites were registered by their clans and their ancestral houses,  (39)  men from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified for work at the tent of meeting.  (40)  The men registered by their clans and their ancestral houses numbered 2,630.  

(42)  The men of the Merarite clans were registered by their clans and their ancestral houses,  (43)  those from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified for work at the tent of meeting.  (44)  The men registered by their clans numbered 3,200.  (45)  These were the registered men of the Merarite clans; Moses and Aaron registered them at the LORD’s command through Moses.  

(48)  Their registered men numbered 8,580.  (49)  At the LORD’s command they were registered under the direction of Moses, each one according to his work and transportation duty, and his assignment was as the LORD commanded Moses.”

“(4)  “Of these,” David said, “24,000 are to be in charge of the work on the LORD’s temple, 6,000 are to be officers and judges,  (5)  4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments that I have made for worship.”  

“(6)  Then David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.” 

“(7)  The Gershomites: Ladan and Shimei.  

(8)  Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel–three.  

(9)  Shimei’s sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran–three. Those were the heads of the families of Ladan.  

(10)  Shimei’s sons: Jahath, Zizah, Jeush, and Ber-iah. Those were Shimei’s sons–four.  (11)  Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; however, Jeush and Ber-iah did not have many sons, so they became an ancestral house and received a single assignment.  

(12)  Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel–four.  (13)  Amram’s sons: Aaron and Moses. 

Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of the LORD, to minister to Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever.”

“(14)  As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.  

(15)  Moses’ sons: Gershom and Eliezer.  

(16)  Gershom’s sons: Shebuel first.  

(17)  Eliezer’s sons were Re-hab-iah, first; 

Eliezer did not have any other sons, but Re-hab-iah’s sons were very numerous.  

(18)  Izhar’s sons: Shelo-mith was first.  (19)  Hebron’s sons: Jer-iah was first, Amar-iah second, Ja-ha-ziel third, and Jekam-eam fourth.  (20)  Uzziel’s sons: Micah was first, and Is-shiah second.  

(21)  Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi. 

Mahli’s sons: Eleazar and Kish.  (22)  Eleazar died having no sons, only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.  

(23)  Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth–three.  

(24)  These were the sons of Levi by their ancestral houses–the heads of families, according to their registration by name in the headcount–20 years old or more, who worked in the service of the LORD’s temple.” 

(25)  For David said, “The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people, and He has come to stay in Jerusalem forever.”  

Deut. 16:1-8, “(1) Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night in the month of Abib. (2) Sacrifice to the LORD your God a Passover animal from the herd or flock in the place where the LORD chooses to have His name dwell.”

“(26)  Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service”–  (27)  for according to the last words of David, the Levites 20 years old or more were to be counted–  (28)  “but their duty will be to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the LORD’s temple, being responsible for the courts and the chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of God’s temple–  (29)  as well as the rows of the bread of the Presence, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of volume and length. “

“(30)  They are also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening.  (31)  Whenever burnt offerings are offered to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed festivals, they are to do so regularly in the LORD’s presence according to the number prescribed for them.  (32)  They are to carry out their responsibilities to the tent of meeting, to the holy place, and to their relatives, the sons of Aaron, in the service of the LORD’s temple.”

David Organizes the Priests

1Chron. 24:1-31, 

“(1) The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.  (2)  But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.  (3)  Together with Zadok from the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the sons of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service.” 

“(4)  Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than Ithamar’s, they were divided accordingly: 

16 heads of ancestral houses were from Eleazar’s descendants, and eight heads of ancestral houses were from Ithamar’s.  

(5)  They were divided impartially by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.  

(6)  The secretary, Shema-iah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. 

One ancestral house was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.  

(7)  The first lot fell to Je-hoi-arib, the second to Jeda-iah,  (8)  the third to Harim, the fourth to Se-orim,  (9)  the fifth to Malch-ijah, the sixth to Mi-jamin,  (10)  the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,  (11)  the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,  (12)  the eleventh to Elia-shib, the twelfth to Jakim,  (13)  the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jesh-eb-eab,  (14)  the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,  (15)  the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happ-izzez,  (16)  the nineteenth to Pethah-iah, the twentieth to Je-hez-kel,  (17)  the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,  (18)  the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.  

(19)  These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the LORD’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.  

(20)  As for the rest of Levi’s sons: 

from Amram’s sons: Shub-ael;

from Shubael’s sons: Jehd-eiah.  

(21)  From Re-habiah: 

from Re-habiah’s sons: Is-shiah was the first.  

(22)  From the Iz-harites: Shelomoth;

from Shelomoth’s sons: Jahath.  

(23)  Hebron’s sons:

Jeriah the first, 

Amariah the second,

Ja-haziel the third, and Je-kameam the fourth.  

(24)  From Uzziel’s sons: Micah;

from Micah’s sons: Shamir.  

(25)  Micah’s brother: Is-shiah;

from Isshiah’s sons: Zechariah.  

(26)  Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi,and from his sons, Jaa-ziah his son.  (27)  Merari’s sons, by his son Jaa-ziah: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.  

(28)  From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.  

(29)  From Kish, 

from Kish’s sons: Jerah-meel.  

(30)  Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeri-moth. 

Those were the sons of the Levites according to their ancestral houses.  

(31)  They also cast lots the same way as their relatives, the sons of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites–the family heads and their younger brothers alike.”

David Organizes the Musicians

1Chron.  25:1-31, 

“(1) David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jedu-thun, who were to prophesy accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals. 

This is the list of the men who performed their service:  

(2)  From Asaph’s sons:Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asare-lah, sons of Asaph, under Asaph’s authority, who prophesied under the authority of the king.  

(3)  From Jedu-thun: Jeduthun’s sons:Ged-aliah, Zeri, Jesha-iah, Shimei, Hash-abiah, and Mattithiah–six–under the authority of their father Jeduthun, prophesying to the accompaniment of lyres, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.  

(4)  From Heman: Heman’s sons:Bukkiah, Mattan-iah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hana-ni, Eliathah, Gidd-alti, Romamti-ezer, Josh-bekash-ah, Mall-othi, Hothir, and Mahaz-ioth.  (5)  All these sons of Heman, the king’s seer, were given by the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.  

(6)  All these men were under their own fathers’ authority for the music in the LORD’s temple, with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of God’s temple. 

Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king’s authority.  

(7)  Together with their relatives who were all trained and skillful in music for the LORD, they numbered 288.  

(8)  They cast lots impartially for their duties, the young and old alike, the teacher along with the pupil.  

(9)  The first lot for Asaph fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers– 12 

to Gedal-iah the second: him, his brothers, and his sons–12  

(10)  the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(11)  the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(12)  the fifth to Nethan-iah, his sons, and his brothers–12

(13)  the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(14)  the seventh to Jesar-elah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(15)  the eighth to Je-sha-iah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(16)  the ninth to Mattan-iah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(17)  the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(18)  the eleventh to Azarel, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(19)  the twelfth to Hash-abiah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(20)  the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(21)  the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(22)  the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(23)  the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(24)  the seventeenth to Josh-bekash-ah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(25)  the eighteenth to Han-ani, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(26)  the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(27)  the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(28)  the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(29)  the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(30)  the twenty-third to Maha-zioth, his sons, and his brothers–12  

(31)  and the twenty-fourth to Romam-ti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers–12.”

1Chron. 26:1-32, 

(1) The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers: 

From the Korahites: Meshel-emiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.  

(2)  Meshel-emiah had sons: 

Zechariah the firstborn, 

Jedi-ael the second,

Zebadiah the third, 

Jath-niel the fourth,  

(3)  Elam the fifth, 

Jeho-hanan the sixth,and 

Elie-hoen-ai the seventh.  

(4)  Obed-edom also had sons:

Shema-iah the firstborn, 

Jehoza-bad the second,

Joah the third, 

Sachar the fourth,

Nethanel the fifth,  

(5)  Ammiel the sixth,

Issachar the seventh, and 

Peu-llethai the eighth,for God blessed him.  

(6)  Also, to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled over their ancestral houses because they were strong, capable men.  

(7)  Shemaiah’s sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elza-bad; 

his brothers Elihu and Semach-iah were also capable men.  

(8)  All of these were among the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and brothers; they were capable men with strength for the work–62 from Obed-edom.  

(9)  Meshel-emiah also had sons and brothers who were capable men–18.  

(10)  Hosah, from the Merarites, also had sons: 

Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first),  

(11)  Hilkiah the second, 

Tebaliah the third, and 

Zechariah the fourth. 

The sons and brothers of Hosah were 13 in all.  

(12)  These divisions of the gatekeepers, under their leading men, had duties for ministering in the LORD’s temple, just as their brothers did.  (13)  They cast lots according to their ancestral houses, young and old alike, for each gate.  (14)  The lot for the east gate fell to Shelemiah. They also cast lots for his son Zechariah, an insightful counselor, and his lot came out for the north gate.  

(15)  Obed-edom’s was the south gate, and his sons’ lot was the storehouses;  

(16)  for Shuppim and Hosah it was the west gate and the gate of Shallecheth on the ascending highway. 

There were guards stationed at every watch.  

(17)  There were six Levites each day on the east, four each day on the north, four each day on the south, and two pair at the storehouses.  

(18)  As for the court on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court.  

(19)  Those were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the sons of the Korahites and Merarites.  

(20)  From the Levites, Ahijah was in charge of the treasuries of God’s temple and the treasuries for what had been dedicated. 

(21)  From the sons of Ladan, who were the sons of the Gershonites through Ladan and were the heads of families belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli.  

(22)  The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel, were in charge of the treasuries of the LORD’s temple.  

(23)  From the Amram-ites, the Iz-har-ites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites:  (24)  Shebuel, a descendant of Moses’ son Gershom, was the officer in charge of the treasuries.  (25)  His relative through Eliezer: his son Reha-biah, his son Jesh-aiah, his son Joram, his son Zichri, and his son Shelomith.  

(26)  This Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for what had been dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds, and by the army commanders.  (27)  They dedicated part of the plunder from their battles for the repair of the LORD’s temple.  

(28)  All that Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah had dedicated, along with everything else that had been dedicated, were in the care of Shelomith and his brothers.  

(29)  From the Izrahites: Chenaniah and his sons had the outside duties as officers and judges over Israel.  

(30)  From the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had assigned duties in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king.  

(31)  From the Hebronites: Jerijah was the head of the Hebronites, according to the genealogical records of his ancestors. 

In the fortieth year of David’s reign a search was made, and strong, capable men were found among them at Jazer in Gilead.  

(32)  There were among Jerijah’s relatives, 2,700 capable men who were heads of families. 

King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh as overseers in every matter relating to God and the king.”

David sets up the Military Divisions

1Chron. 27:1-34, 

“(1) This is the list of the Israelites, the heads of families, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter to do with the divisions that were on rotated military duty each month throughout the year. There were 24,000 in each division:  

(2)  Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division, for the first month; 24,000 were in his division.  (3)  He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army commanders for the first month.  

(4)  Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division for the second month, and Mikloth was the leader; 24,000 were in his division.  

(5)  The third army commander, as chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest; 24,000 were in his division.  (6)  This Benaiah was a mighty man among the Thirty and over the Thirty, and his son Ammiz-abad was in charge of his division.  

(7)  The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him; 24,000 were in his division.  

(8)  The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Sham-huth the Izrahite; 24,000 were in his division.  

(9)  The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; 24,000 were in his division.  

(10)  The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite from the sons of Ephraim; 24,000 were in his division.  

(11)  The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite; 24,000 were in his division.  

(12)  The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Ana-thothite, a Benjaminite; 24,000 were in his division.  

(13)  The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite; 24,000 were in his division.  

(14)  The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite from the sons of Ephraim; 24,000 were in his division.  

(15)  The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Neto-phathite, of Othniel’s family; 24,000 were in his division.  

(16)  The following were in charge of the tribes of Israel:

For the Reubenites, Eliezer son of Zichri was the chief official;

for the Simeonites, Shephatiah son of Maacah;  

(17)  for the Levites, Hashabiah son of Kemuel; 

for Aaron, Zadok;  

(18)  for Judah, Elihu, one of David’s brothers; 

for Issachar, Omri son of Michael;  

(19)  for Zebulun, Ishmaiah son of Obadiah;

for Naphtali, Jerimoth son of Azriel;  

(20)  for the Ephraimites, Hoshea son of Aza-ziah;

for half the tribe of Manasseh, Joel son of Pedaiah;  

(21)  for half the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo son of Zechariah;

for Benjamin, Jaasiel son of Abner;  

(22)  for Dan, Azarel son of Jeroham.

Those were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.  

(23)  David didn’t count the men aged 20 or under, for the LORD had said He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of heaven.  (24)  Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but he didn’t complete it. There was wrath against Israel because of this census, and the number was not entered in the Historical Record of King David.  

(25)  Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storehouses.

Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses.  

(26)  Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of those who worked in the fields tilling the soil.  

(27)  Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards.

Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars.  

(28)  Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the Shephelah. 

Joash was in charge of the stores of olive oil.  

(29)  Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds that grazed in Sharon, whileShaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.  

(30)  Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.

Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.  

(31)  Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks.

All these were officials in charge of King David’s property.  

(32)  David’s uncle Jonathan was a counselor; he was a man of understanding and a scribe. 

Jehiel son of Hach-moni attended the king’s sons.  

(33)  Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. 

Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.  

(34)  After Ahithophel came Jehoiada son of Bena-iah, then Abiathar. 

Joab was the commander of the king’s army.”

Blessings!

 

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Blessings!

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!